Biggles on the Home Front/plot
Chapter 1: Inspector Gaskin Calls Gaskin is worried by a spat of high profile jewel robberies. It is normally difficult to get rid of stolen property yet all the thieves seem to have money to spend. Gaskin suspects there is a new "fence" who is offereing to buy over the loot at good prices. He has a hunch aircraft are being used to fly the stolen items out of the country as not a trace of them has been found. Biggles agrees to help and Gaskin takes the Air Police crew down to the Rogue's Gallery to familiarise themselves with all the well-known criminals which Scotland Yard has been tracking. Chapter 2: The Bait With Gaskin's help, Biggles inserts a news story about a spectacular theft of a valuable emerald and then plants himself, under the guise of one "Ted Walls" as a bait at "The Barn", a Soho pub much frequented by a robber fraternity. By dropping hints and flashing the gold setting of the emerald, and mentioning that he knows Stony Stoneways while in prison, Biggles manages to attract the attention of Gus Norman and Swell Noble, two criminals known to Scotland Yard. Leaving the pub, Biggles notices that they are being followed all the way to the cheap lodgings they had taken. Chapter 3: Wheels Within Wheels Next morning, Biggles gets a call from Gaskin to tell him his presence at the Barn had started something. Soon after, another call comes from someone wanting to buy his gold setting. Biggles arrives at the rendezvous at Victoria Station and is surprised to find the buyer is a man wearing an R.A.F. tie. The buyer disappears in a stolen car which is later found parked near the R.A.F. and Royal Aero Clubs. Chapter 4: Give and Take Gus Norman approaches Biggles and more or less obliges him to sell the emerald to him for two hundred pounds. But Norman soon comes back and demands his money back--he has found out the emerald is a fake. Biggles tries to pay him back but the money is gone! Biggles then remembers he had bumped into Dusty Brace near the door at the Barn and the two of them go after Dusty at the pub. Dusty of course denies everything but then Gaskin walks in and forces him to return the money. Things are moving fast, but at least the confrontation with Gaskin has convinced Norman that Biggles is a "real" crook. On parting, Norman tells Biggles the news that Gerald "Stony" Stoneways has escaped from Pentonville. Chapter 5: A Day in the Country Biggles is concerned that Stony might blow his cover, but Gaskin soon recaptures the escapee. There is something more. After failing to meet Stony, Gus Norman had taken a train to Hertford North station outside London where he was picked up by a black Daimler. Scotland Yard has followed him there. Biggles and Ginger decide to reconnoitre Hertford. By good fortune, they sight the black Daimler and follow it to a large house, the Gortons, owned by one Eustace Carlton. Satisfied with the progress made, they stop at a hotel for a meal and then by good or bad luck, meet two man: one was the man who bought the emerald mounting at Victoria Station. The other also seems an ex-R.A.F. man and he blows the whole game by addressing Biggles by his real name and saying, "I heard you'd joined the police force." Chapter 6: A Dangerous Encounter The man introduces himself as Bill Reverley, a slight acquaintance of wartime days. The man with the R.A.F. tie is Verney Laxter. Biggles laughs off the idea that he might become a policeman but isn't sure Laxter is really convinced. Over drinks, Reverley reveals that Laxter is looking for a pilot for an exclusive flying club and suggests that Biggles is the man. Laxter is rather annoyed with Reverley for being indiscreet but appears interested. Chapter 7: Accident or Murder? Next morning, back in London at a meeting with Algy and Bertie, Biggles is shocked to learn that Reverley was found dead in an aircrash. Looking at a map, Biggles sees that the crash is on a straight line from the Gortons to the South Wessex Flying Club where Reverley worked. He must have flown in to the Gortons to visit Laxter and could have had his aircraft sabotaged on the way back. Biggles suspects Laxter might have killed Reverley to stop him from talking too much and sends Algy to investigate the crash site. Bertie is sent to mount surveillance over the Gortons. Meanwhile, Biggles and Ginger conduct a photo-reconnaissance of the estate. There's a building which could be a hangar and faint wheel tracks on the grass. Chapter 8: Bertie Climbs a Tree At the Gortons, Bertie comes up against a few fierce Alsatian guard dogs and is trapped up a tree. The commotion brings out the residents of the house and he meets Swell Noble as well as an elderly bearded man who appears to be in charge. Chapter 9: Algy Speaks His Mind Over at the crash site of Reverley's aircraft, Algy encounters Laxter pretending to be curious about the crash but sounding just a little too anxious to know if the authorities suspect any foul play. Algy is upset that Laxter might have sabotaged and killed a fellow pilot and his former squadorn mate. He decides to rattle Laxter a bit by suggesting that the aircraft could have been sabotaged. After Laxter leaves, he discovers carbon deposits in the aircraft engine and fuel tank and collects some scrapings for the Scotland Yard lab to analyse. Chapter 10: Laxter Makes a Proposition Biggles comes back to the Clefton to find Laxter waiting for him. He offers Biggles a job as a pilot flying a "rich busnessman" or his despatches. Biggles accepts and Laxter tells him he will be sent for when his is needed for a flight. Chapter 11: News for Inspector Gaskin The Air Police crew gather with Gaskin to take stock. The soot Algy has collected is proven to be the residue of burnt sugar, so there is no doubt that Reverley was murdered. Bertie describes the elderly man at the Gortons and Gaskin identifies him as "The Count", now known as Eustace Carlton, a notorious and successful jeweller robber who was once thought dead. Now it seems, he is very much alive and has moved on to organising jobs as opposed to doing them himself. With Swell Noble at Gortons and Laxter engaging a new pilot, Biggles surmises that another robbery is being planned soon. They agree that as soon as Biggles is summoned to Gortons for a flight, it must mean that the proceeds of the robbery are in the house. Gaskin would throw a cordon around the place. The signal for the police to move in would be when they hear an aircraft engine start. Chapter 12: The Trap Laxter shows up suddenly at the Clefton again and takes Biggles and Ginger away, giving them no chance to notify Gaskin or anyone else that they are on the move. They are taken to Gortons but not for a flight--the criminals have busted their cover and Carlton accuses them of being police spies. He tells them his gang is planning one last series of jobs and then they will be dispersing. Biggles and Ginger would be locked in the wine cellar and the house burnt down to remove all evidence. Chapter 13: New Moves Fortunately, Biggles habit for punctuality saves him. When he is late for planned meeting with Algy and Bertie at Victoria Station, Bertie goes to the Clefton to check what is wrong and spots Biggles and Ginger with Laxter going off in a black Daimler. Algy notifies Gaskin and he and Bertie then decide to go down to Gortons to keep a look out for Biggles. Chapter 14: Weary Work Algy and Bertie take up positions to watch the big field at the Gortons--the landing ground for the criminal gang's aircraft. But it turns out to be a long wait as nothing happens for the rest of the day. Towards evening, they see the Auster being prepared for flight, but there's no sing of Biggles. Laxter is doing the preflight checks. As night falls, a car departs--obviously the gang is going to London for another robbery job. The Auster is already standing by for the loot when they return. Chapter 15: The End of the Trail The gang returns from their jobs and Algy is puzzled that it is Laxter who is going to fly the Auster. Nonetheless, he is determined not to let the aircraft get away. As the Auster starts up, Algy and Bertie move towards it and Gaskin's men launch their raid. With the police closing in, Laxter decides to abandon his boss and passenger, "The Count", and escape on his own instead. However, Bertie grabs the strut of the aircraft and swerves it and then shoots out the tyres. The Auster crashes and bursts into flames, killing Laxter. But where are Biggles and Ginger? Algy, Bertie and Gaskin are alarmed to see that the house is burning as well, and begin a frantic search. They finally find Biggles and Ginger and release them from the wine cellar before it is too late. Laxter and "The Count" are both dead and the rest of the criminal gang are safely under arrest. Grinning, Gaskin welcomes them to his line of work. "Like to do some more," he asks. Biggles declines. "A little of that sort of thing goes a long way." Category:Plot summaries